4-Year-Old Swept Out to Sea While Walking With Mother on Outer Banks

A 4-year-old boy walking on the beach with his mother on the Outer Banks was hit by a wave and swept out to sea on Wednesday, officials said. The child still had not been found as of Friday afternoon.

The boy and his mother were walking on the beach in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, late Wednesday afternoon when a wave hit the child, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement. His mother “lost sight of him in the surf.”

The Coast Guard and searched for the boy by helicopter and by boat. They searched 130 square nautical miles for hours but still couldn’t find him. At 8:30 p.m., they suspended their search.